M3 MacBook Air tipped for 2024 release date

The MacBook Air 15-inch (M2, 2023) is the biggest, shiniest MacBook Air that Apple has ever made. And while it's only a week old, Apple is already working on a better, even faster version.

The news comes from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who says that Apple is already working on the M3 MacBook Air in both its 13 and 15-inch variants. It's unclear whether that's an informed report or just a guess, because Apple's processor timescales are quite well established now and an 2024 release for M3 Airs is a pretty safe bet. 

Is Apple making M3 MacBooks?

Yes. We've previously reported on Apple's plans to manufacture M3 processors later this year, although previous rumours that this year's WWDC would see M3-powered MacBooks proved to be overly optimistic: this year's 15-inch MacBook Air packs an M2 processor.

It's certain that Apple will move to M3 chips on all its Macs before long, and to the M4 and M5 and so on. What's less certain is the timeline. 

The M1 MacBook Air launched in 2020, with the M2 MacBook Air following two years later in 2022. The 15-inch M2 has just been launched in 2023, and I wouldn't be surprised if Apple staggers the release of the M3 version as it did with the M-powered MacBook Pro models. MacBook Pros are currently on a staggered two-year upgrade cycle, with the 13-inch moving up a processor generation in year one and the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro following a year later.

We won't know until early 2024 what Apple's plans are, but for now it's a safe bet to buy the M2 in whatever size suits you best. Don't expect many MacBook Air deals on the newly launched 15-inch just yet, but you should be able to score a discount on the smaller Air fairly easily.